Phased Retirement Annuity One of the incentives offered to gain employee participation in the Phased Retirement program is the more generous annuity at full retirement. Federal annuities are calculated based on years of creditable service and the high-three average salary. Therefore, the longer you work the better things might look in the end for you.Read… Read more »
Duos Come in all forms and across all trades. Batman and Robin. Simon and Garfunkle. Ben and Jerry. Mork and Mindy. Lewis and Clark. Bert and Ernie. Bauman and Spungen. Haven’t heard of the last duo? Well under their leadership the two doctors have collaborated to study medical consequences of spin cord injuries for overRead… Read more »
Whether you’re interviewing for an internship or for a job in the Senior Executive Service, your interviewer may ask you that old “What are your weaknesses?” question. But even interviewers who still ask that widely reviled question recognize its limitations. “No one realistically expects to receive brutally honest answers like, ‘I’m below-average intelligence and difficultRead… Read more »
You’ve probably heard that old saying, “people quit their bosses, not their jobs.” You may even have quit a job or two yourself because of a bad boss, so you know that one of the most important parts of being a good leader is to build trust with your team. They need to trust thatRead… Read more »
If you’re considering applying for your first federal job (or if you’re hunting for a new one), don’t plan on using a traditional resume. There are a number of specific things the feds are looking for that don’t usually apply to the private sector. What follows are some tips on how to rework your resumeRead… Read more »
70% of learning is informal, so it’s time for managers to think beyond just traditional training programs On September 3, 2014, American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) will be hosting the Government Workforce: Learning Innovations Conference. The conference will provide a unique opportunity for government leaders to explore how new learning models can helpRead… Read more »
Many of us keep our days chock full from sunup to sundown, but in the end we still feel swamped by our to do lists. It’s such a common feeling in our society that productivity gurus have made millions selling us books, apps, and systems designed to boost our work output. The problem with evenRead… Read more »
I stumbled across a blog post from HubSpot the other day on the benefits of business blogging (“The Benefits of Business Blogging: Why Businesses Do It, and You Should Too” by Corey Eridon). Among the top benefits cited in the article were the following: 1. Blogging helps drive traffic to your website, 2. It helpsRead… Read more »
The “grey tsunami” was a big topic at my agency a few years back. The expectation was that up to 70% of the agency’s workforce would take early retirement. Massive amounts of tacit knowledge would be lost. In preparation, my team attempted to “crowdsource” the knowledge of the experienced staff. We wanted to convert thatRead… Read more »
Should I speak up, or is this a dumb idea? Did I do a good enough job on that project? Am I in over my head? Chances are you recognize that voice. It’s the downward spiraling mantra of self-doubt, and almost everyone has had it in his head at one point or another. Self-doubt canRead… Read more »